Method of forming steel wheels



W. H. WALTER.

METHOD OF FORMING STEEL WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5. I920.

PatentedN0v.22,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

w. H. WALTER.

'METHOD or ronmme srm WHEELS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5, I320.

Patfited Nov. 22, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

methods at present in general use.

WILLIAM H. WALTER,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF ALLIANCE, OHIO.

METHOD OF FORMING STEEL WHEELS.

Application filed October 5,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. WALTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alliance, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Method of Forming Steel Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved method of pressing flanged steel wheels and the like and has for its objects to provide a method whereby a flanged wheel or other annular object may be pressed and completely formed in a single operation and with a single heating, to provide means whereby a double flanged wheel may be formed in a single pressing operation, to provide means for easily and quickly removing the finished wheel after the pressing operation; and to generally improved and simplify the method and mechanism required for producing a finished steel wheel or the like. y

The present invention is especially efficient in forming double flanged wheels and similar articles which it is not possible to form by pressing or forging with the ordinary The usual method of forming double flanged wheels or pulleys is to roll the same or to cast 01' forge the article and then machine the flanges, which requires expensive and lengthy operations. By the present method a finished double flanged wheel or pulley is produced from the heated blank or billet in a single pressing operation.

The above and ancillary objects may be attained with the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which a stationary lower die is mounted upon asuitable bed or table, a pair of semi-annular side dies being arranged to encircle saidlower die and to rest upon the same, means being provided for normally holding said side dies in the closed position, a vertically reciprocating upper die cooperating therewith to produce the finished wheel in a single press in operation.

Vith the foregoing, and other objects apparent to those versed in the pressing and forging of metals, in View, the invention consists in the arrangement of parts and the operations hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a lan view of an arrangement of dies by whic the invention may be accomplished,

Specification of Letterslatent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

1920. Serial No. 414,905.

Fig. 2 a section on the line IL-II, Fig. 1, the device being shown in the closed or operative position, a finished wheel being shown therein,

Fig. 3 a transverse sectional view on the line IV-IV, Fig. 1, showing the upper die in the raised position, a blank or billet being shown in position withinthe dies,

Fig. l a similar view showing theparts in the operative or closed position, a finished wheel being shown therein,

Fig. 5 a plan view of the lower and side dies showing the side dies in the opened position, a finished wheel being shown ready for removal from the device,

Fig. 6 an edge elevation of a finished double flanged wheel, and

Fig. 7 a side elevation of the blank or billet from which the wheel is formed.

A practical embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification in which similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

For the purpose ofshowing the capabilities of the improvement, the dies shown in the accompanying drawings are designed for the formation of a double. flanged wheel. In carrying out the invention a suitable bed or table 1 may be provided for receiving the lower die 2 which may be secured in the aperture 2- in the table by means of a key 9.

The lower die in the presentinstance is shown provided with an annular rib 2" which in combination with a similar rib on the upper die, which will be later described, forms the web 12 upon thewheel 13 which the dies are designed to produce.

A pair of side dies 3, each provided with a semi-circular forming face .3, and arranged to be normally located in closed position, concentric with the lower die, forming a complete annulus, is provided upon the table 1. Each of these side dies may be provided with shoulders 11 arranged to engage the stops 11 positioning the side dies concentrically above the lower die.

In the form of dies illustrated in "the ac companying drawings, adapted to form the wheel 13 with the spaced annular flanges 14, the side dies are provided with the upper and lower annular grooves 15 arranged to form said flanges upon the wheel.

For the purpose of normally holding the side dies in the closed position during the pressing operation, these dies may be mounted upon the slidable plates 4, which are connected by means of the piston rods 5 with the plungers 5 mounted within the fluid cylinders 6. When sufficient fluid pressure is admitted to the cylinders, it will be seen that the dies 3 will be held fixedly in the closed position. Guides 7 may be provided for assuring the proper alinementof the'side dies 3 during the pressing operation.

The upper die 8 which forms the opposite side of the wheel to that formed by the lower die 2, may be mounted in any suitable manner for vertical reciprocation with reference to the dies 2 and 3 and in the form shown in vthe drawings, is provided with the annular around the edge of the finished article formed from an excess of metal, which is common in drop forging. I

In operating the device to form a wheel by the improved method, the heated blank is first placed in position upon the lower die' as shown in Fig. 3. It is pointed out that theblank should be of sufiicient diameter to rest upon the highest points of the annular rib 2 The side dies 3 are closed, suflicient 'Yfiuid pressure being admitted to the cylinders 6 to hold said dies rigidly inthe closed position.

The upper die is then moved downwardly, preferably by means of a continuous, steady pressure, forcing the blank down into the face of the lower die and outwardly into the forming faces of the side dies during which the blank assumes the cross-sectional shape shown in Fig. 4 as the upper die reaches its lowermost position. 7

This is accomplished in a single operation, the blank being formed into the finished wheel by the continuous downward pressure of the upper die. In order to remove the finished wheel, the upper die is raised and the side dies are moved outwardly, away from each other as shown in Fig. 5, the finished wheel remaining upon the lower die as shown in said figure, from which place it may be easily removed.

It will be evident that the side dies are formed separable only for the purpose of removing the finished wheel from the dies as these side dies are held in the closed; position throughout the entire pressing opera tion and are not to be considered as pressing or forging dies, the entire pressing operation being accomplished by the vertically movableupper die which forces the heated blank into the faces of the lower and side dies, at the same time imprinting the contour of the upper die upon said blank.

I claim 1. The method of forming steel wheels which comprises placing a heated billet upon a fixed bottom die and between a pair of horizontally separable, vertically fixed side dies and pressing the billetinto said bottom die and side dies by a vertically movable top die.

2. The method of forming steel wheels which comprises placing a heated billet'upon afixed bottom die above which is mounted a horizontally separable, vertically fixed annular die, and pressing the billet into said bottom die and annular die by steady pressure of a vertically movable top die.

3. The method of forming steel wheels which comprises pressing a heated; billet fixed bottom die and vertically fixed, separa ble side dies provided with spaced annular down and outwardly into a fixed bottom die grooves, by the steady downward pressure of a vertically movable top die. 7

5. The method of forming steel wheels which comprises placing a heated billet upon a fixed bottom die above which is mounted a horizontally separable, vertically fixed, annular die, the inner diameter thereof being less than the greatest diameter of the finished wheel, and pressing the billet into said bottom die and annular die by steady pressure of a vertically movable top die.

6. The method of forming steel wheels which comprises placing a heated billet upon a fixed bottom. die and between a pair of horizontally movable, vertically fixed, side dies, and pressing the billet into said bottom die and side dies by a vertically movable top die.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name. 

